Fall River company named Cape Wind electrical outfitter

A Fall River company has been selected by Cape Wind to be the electrical outfitter for the 130-wind turbine project planned for Horseshoe Shoals in Nantucket Sound.

Ariel WittenbergThe Standard-Times

A Fall River company has been selected by Cape Wind to be the electrical outfitter for the 130-wind turbine project planned for Horseshoe Shoals in Nantucket Sound.

The offshore wind developer revealed Fall River Electrical’s involvement in the project Tuesday, when it announced that Weeks/Manson will be the project’s construction contractor. Weeks/Manson is a joint venture between New Jersey-based Weeks Marine and Washington-based Manson Construction Co.

Fall River Electrical Vice President Dana Johnston said in a statement that his company is “looking forward to being a part of the Cape Wind and Weeks/Manson team.”

“This is a great opportunity for local businesses like ours to help bring the clean energy industry to Massachusetts,” he said.

Rick Palmer, vice president of Weeks Marine, said his company’s contract with Cape Wind “has been a long time coming.” Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, Weeks Marine had invested in building a jack-up barge specifically to use for installing wind turbines offshore.

“Weeks Marine was committed to the emergence of the U.S. offshore wind industry and confident enough to make significant investment required to build an installation vessel,” Palmer said. He called the barge “an important early link” for a domestic supply chain for offshore wind.

Before turbines are installed, Palmer explained, workers from Fall River Electrical will help outfit the turbine towers with electrical equipment. That work will be done onshore, although Palmer said he could not comment on what port — New Bedford or Rhode Island’s Quonset Point — would host the work.

Palmer said five companies applied to be the electrical subcontractor, but did not know where they were all located.

Cape Wind spokesman Mark Rodgers said that having Fall River Electrical as the subcontractor shows that Weeks/Manson is “very interested in maximizing potential for local and regional subcontractors.”

“The workers who build Cape Wind will be coming from the local and regional work force,” he said.